BENGALURU, India Feb. 13- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has appointed Rajat Patidar as their captain for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the franchise announced on Thursday at an event at the KSCA. The 31-year-old middle-order batter replaces Faf du Plessis, who was released ahead of the upcoming season.
With no clear captaincy candidate following du Plessis’ exit, RCB turned to Patidar, who recently led Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. He becomes the eighth player to captain the franchise.
Patidar, who debuted in the IPL in 2021, has been with RCB since then, proving his ability against both pace and spin. In 27 matches, he has scored 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85. He was one of RCB’s three retentions before the mega auction, alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal, securing a contract worth INR 11 crore.
New Leadership for RCB After Kohli, du Plessis Eras
Patidar’s appointment marks a shift for RCB, which has previously been led by stalwarts like Kohli and du Plessis. Kohli first captained the team in 2011 as a stand-in for Daniel Vettori before taking over full-time in 2012. Under his leadership, RCB reached the playoffs in 2015 and finished runners-up in 2016, a season where Kohli amassed a record 973 runs. The team also qualified for the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Du Plessis took over after Kohli stepped down in 2021, guiding the team to two playoff appearances in the 2022-24 cycle. In 2023, Kohli briefly returned as captain for three matches when du Plessis, recovering from a rib injury, played only as an Impact Player.
With Patidar at the helm, RCB enters a new phase, looking to break their title drought in the upcoming season.
